Rough start for U.S. in team skating

Feb. 6, 2014

Updated Feb. 7, 2014 11:19 a.m.

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Jeremy Abbott of the United States takes a fall during his performance during the team men's figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Russia's Titiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov perform during the team pairs' figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Members of the Russian Olympic team cheer for Russia's Evgeny Plyushchenko during the team men's figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Russia's Evgeny Plyushchenko pumps his fist to the crowd following his performance during the team men's figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Julia Lavrentieva and Yuri Rudyk of Ukraine perform during the team pairs figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan performs during the team men's figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir of the United States perform during the team pairs' figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Russia's Evgeny Plyushchenko is pleased with his performance during the team men's figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Canada's Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford perform during the team pairs' figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Julia Lavrentieva and Yuri Rudyk of Ukraine perform during the team pairs' figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Maylin and Daniel Wende of Germany perform during the team pairs' figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Canada's Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford perform during the team pairs' figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Russian fans cheer for their skaters during the team pairs' figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Russia's Titiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov perform during the team pairs' figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Russia's Titiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov perform during the team pairs' figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Stefania Berton and Ondrej Hotarek of Italy perform during the team pairs' figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Husband and wife Maylin and Daniel Wende of Germany kiss following their performance in the team pairs figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Jeremy Abbott of the United States takes a fall during his performance during the team men's figure skating short program at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Adler, Russia. MARK RIGHTMIRE, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

ADLER, Russia -- Jeremy Abbott slumped over, burying his face in his hands, unwilling to look at a screen about to produce his scores, if he even could have seen them through his tears. A U.S. coach patted him on the back.

Behind him in the kiss-and-cry zone, U.S. teammates Meryl Davis and Charlie White, the world dance champions, tried to put on a brave face as they held an American flag but clearly realized what Abbott’s short program scores would momentarily confirm.

Team USA was off to a disastrous start in the inaugural Olympic team competition.

In the latest Olympic collapse for the U.S. champion, Abbott crashed on his opening jump at the Iceberg Thursday night (local time), a fall Team USA might not be able to recover from at the Olympic Games.

“I’ve had my Olympic disaster,” Abbott said, “and I can move on.”

It remains doubtful, however, that in the wake of Abbott’s disaster Team USA will be able to gain enough traction in the remaining parts of the team competition to move onto the medal podium.

Abbott’s program left the U.S. in a distant seventh place after the opening night of the team competition where a fifth place showing in the pairs section of the competition by Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir did little to soften the fall for Team USA.

“It’s a very unfortunate day for my teammates,” Abbott said. “I’m torn about it. I love being part of the team. I love the kids I skate with, they’re like family and I’m torn apart I couldn’t do it for them.”

The Russian pairs team of Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov and 2006 Olympic champion Evgeny Plushenko did deliver for the home crowd. Volosozhar and Trankov’s first place in pairs and Plushenko’s second in the men’s short gave the Russians 19 points and a two-point lead on Canada with China third at 15. The U.S. is seventh with 10 points.

Under the new format, the nation’s field skaters in all four categories (women, men, pairs and dance) and are awarded points based on their finish in the different segments.

Plushenko’s performance was the most anticipated of the night. The Russian Skating Federation’s decision to award Plushenko the country’s sole men’s spot in the Olympic Games despite recent injury problems and a second-place finish at the Russian championships was controversial. But Plushenko, competing in a fourth Olympics, seemed to validate the decision, hitting a quad toe-triple toe combination and a triple Axel on the way to a 91.39 short program score. Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu won the short program at 97.98 with reigning World champion Patrick Chan of Canada third (89.71). Abbott was more than 30 points behind Hanyu in seventh (65.65).

“For me it was so difficult to skate today, so difficult to calm down, so difficult with applause from there, from there, from behind, from everywhere,” Plushenko said pointing to different parts of the Iceberg. “It was like I was knocked down. It was difficult but it also helped.”

Abbott was literally down just moments into his program, tripping on a quad toe loop.

“It didn’t get the altitude it would normally get and it came down short,” he said.

Thursday wasn’t the first time Abbott came up short at the Olympics. He was ninth four years ago in Vancouver. Abbott was eighth at the 2012 World Championships.

“Before I went on the ice, Yuka said to find the silence in the noise,” Abbott said referring to his coach Yuka Sato. “I could feel the pulse in the audience and I could hear the silence in my head. But now I just have to shake off the demons. We all know I have a lot of demons.”

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